Safety

ATLANTA, GA—The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) and its 32 affiliated unions waded into every major transportation policy debate in Washington and focused on expanding transportation investments, reforming safety policy, protecting workers’ rights, and rejecting job-killing trade policies. “2015 must be the year when we break the stalemate on funding our badly deteriorated transportation system […]

Since the last rewrite of federal railroad safety laws in 2008, an increased number of hazards identified by both employees and government agencies, coupled with significant growth in the industry, has put a spotlight on the need for legislative action to impose needed safety reforms. Congress must move forward on the expired Rail Safety Improvement […]

The U.S. aviation industry plays a central role in our national economy. Two million passengers fly on 70,000 flights every single day in America. The industry supports almost 12 million jobs and over $1.5 trillion in total economic activity, and accounts for 5.4 percent of our GDP. In other words, our aviation sector is a […]

Air traffic in the United States has steadily grown since the end of the recession, and recent projections by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) predict that it will continue to grow by an average of 2.2 percent each year over the next two decades. By 2034, the FAA forecasts, “U.S. commercial air carriers are projected […]

In a saner world, these would be the glory days for public transit in the U.S. The high stakes of hopeless congestion and changing commuter preferences combined with remarkable technological advances have created an environment in which a robustly funded, state-of-the art public transit network could be at the center of our modern economy. But […]

Talking about transportation safety isn’t enough – measures are needed to close gaps in the system that expose both workers and the public. That’s where the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) comes in. Since it was established more than 40 years ago as an independent safety and accident investigation agency, the NTSB has pressed regulators […]

TTD and our affiliates strongly oppose efforts to overturn the decades-old policy that prohibits passengers from using mobile wireless devices to make voice calls while in-flight. As thoroughly explained in our filings to proceedings promulgated by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Department of Transportation (DOT), we believe the introduction of in-flight voice calls pose unnecessary safety issues and security risks to passengers and flight crews, including flight attendants and pilots.[2] Overturning this longstanding policy also creates another unnecessary distraction in an inherently disruptive cabin environment that could create adversarial interactions between passengers.

Whether traveling through New England, the Northwest, or in between, passengers riding on an intercity or charter bus expect to reach their destination safely. To better understand how to ensure this remains the case, the federal agency responsible for setting safety standards for commercial motor vehicles—including both buses and trucks—has wisely decided to study whether […]

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I write in response to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s (FMCSA) notice of a new Information Collection Request (ICR), “The Impact of Driver Compensation on Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) Safety.” By way of background, TTD consists of 32 affiliate unions that represent workers in every mode of transportation, including those employed in the CMV industry. We therefore have a vested interested in this proceeding.[1] We also endorse the comments filed by the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU).

On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), I write to comment on the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPRM) on Hazardous Materials, Oil Spill Response Plans (OSRPs) for High-Hazard Flammable Trains (HHFTs). By way of background, TTD consists of 32 affiliate unions representing workers across the transportation spectrum, including the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) whose members answer the call when transportation-related emergencies occur. We therefore have a vested interest in this proceeding.